"Come out with your hands up!" Matthew yelled. Josh's eyes widened."Go!," he hissed frantically. I forced my feet up the ladder, going fast as possible. I sweated, knowing any minute the big metal door could be busted down. My Vans banged on the wobbly iron bars as I hurriedly clambered higher. "Come on, Abby," Josh begged."Abby, come on, your almost there!" And I am. I could touch Josh now. I'm so close! I hear footsteps approaching the door. One pair of loafers that pound the school's floor. And a pair of high heels clicking quickly. I climb like the wind, but on the last rung I slip. "Ah!" I gasp. My feet slip while running up the ladder and I'm hanging by my hands for a split second before the crusty, rusty metal bites painfully into my palms. I tumble to the floor. Pain shoots up my legs and I fall over. It hurts like hell. I breath shakily and muster energy to speak."UUUUUUGH!" Tears drench me. "Abby!" Josh's eyes get all buggy and he begins scrambling down the ladder. "No!" I command sharply, which is extremely difficult."Save yourself. That's an order!"I choke on the words. "I can't just let them take you," he pleads. "Go now or I will scream for help and pretend you attacked me," I fiercely announce, also screaming because of the pain.I gasp clutching my legs again. He slumps his shoulders and reluctantly ascends the ladder and disappears onto the roof. I use my forearms to pull myself away from the ladder to avoid suspicion. My legs feel broken which is no surprise considering they feel like they're burning. "Hands up!" Cecil screeches, seconds before Matthew breaks open the door. It doesn't take long for them to find me laying helplessly on the floor next to the boiler. I can't think of any excuses so I just decide to plea the fifth- and be silent. "Who are you?" Cecil demands. "Help," I muster, feigning weakness. I guess it's not really feigning because I do feel very weak. Matthew kneels down next to me."What happened?" "M-my le-legs." He swoops me up in his arms and flies down the steps. He loads me into his car and I lay down. Undoubtedly he feels like freakin' Superman. But the car feels worse. "We'll take you to the hospital now," Cecil tells me. I give up trying to hold my head up, eventually dropping it onto the cold leather seats. I hope Josh'll be alright...
In the hospital, the doctor has me sit on an examination bench and he looks at my legs and does x-rays. Then he gives me a bunch of Ibu-Profen. "Broken, alright," he pronounces.No duh. His name tag reads Dr. Abbington."Left tibia has indentations of stress near patella, femur has fractures on both, and metacarpals are shattered on right leg. It's like you fell from a great distance and landed on your feet." Dang, he's good. Its exactly what happened. "Can I have a cast?" I inquire innocently. "Tell me what happened," Dr. Abbington says. Good excuses are actually helpful, I conquer, since saying nothing implies guiltiness. I rack my brain for ideas. Then it hits me! "I don't remember," I lie."I woke up on the floor there. I really don't know anything that happened." He nods slowly, considering my argument."Well, given that you fell while standing up, you couldn't have been pushed. You would've changed directions. But you fell pretty much straight down, only collapsing when you reached the impact point of the floor." "She jumped?" Matthew interupts. "It's a possible explanation for her injuries, though it looks as though she fell about.. about 60 feet? That could be enough to kill someone if they landed on their back or head. If she had interest in committing suicide then she wouldn't have fallen straight down, rather pushed off in an angle- maybe even starting headfirst or siting down," Cecil agreed. "I'm not-I'm not… suicidal!]/I]" I sputter. Then I shut up. Sooner or later, they'll figure out I must've jumped from a ladder to be in the position that I was. Thank god I was...if I landed on my head or back I probably would be dead. Dr. Abbigton cleared his throat at looked at them."Dr. Nigel-Murray, Special Agent Matthew Addy, thank you for your interests in this but let us focus now on treating her injuries and later worrying about their causes." The dynamic duo reluctantly nodded. Dr. Abbington looked at my legs. "You need to stay in a hospital bed for now while we contact your guardians. You may need to stay there while your legs heal," he frowns.
In my hospital room, it is a small but private room with a comfy hospital bed, which holds my legs up in a sling, with two endtables where my TV remote is and a large flat screen TV with TiVo and medical equipment and such. I'm wearing a paper hospital gown and watching old episodes of House M.D. "Sweetpea!" I hear my mother shriek as she dashes in worriedly and plant a hug on me. "What happened?" Dad demands, strutting in still in his uniform. He must've been still at this hospital in his office. "I don't know, I woke up on the ground. My legs are broken," I fib. A pang of guilt hits me. I hate lieing to my parents, playing them for saps. Not telling them everything that really did happen. "Oh, my goodness!" Mom gasps, her eyes widening in worry and her hands to her mouth. They're still cracked and dirty with chipped old spice brown nail polish from the manicure Aunt Flo treated her to last month for her birthday. She must've just returned from gardening, her obsession. Through all the flaws in my life, I can actually say proudly I have a gorgeous garden. Nurse Gretchen looks up."Mrs. Walker, Dr. Walker, hello! Abby has two broken legs and unfortunately may need to stay in the hospital for further recovery," she explains. Mom swoons dramatically and I can't help giggling. She's wearing an Irish green tunic with a sun on it, terra cotta corduroy trousers, and scoffed black Wellies. She doesn't exactly look like a princess. "Ca-can I have my phone?" Nurse Gretchen absentmindly hands me my phone the cupboard and I text Josh. "In hospital." I send it to Hendrix too.
After I drifted into slumber, I sat up in Mr. Vonn's classroom. I was sitting in my desk, surrounded by my fellow students. I barely feel my cool skin against the grainy maple wood. "H-how did I get here?" I cry. "It's time to meet your fears," Miranda replied worriedly."Just watch. I'm so sorry." "My fears?! What?!" Miranda, as usual, was looking great. Her whispy brunnette hair was bold with it fiery highlighing her round face. She wore a spiceberry Abercrombie polo, ash grey skinny jeans with silver chains, Ugg moccasins, and an violet Burberry peacoat. Usually I don't notice every detail of her appearence, but now it's like I'm mechanically analyzing how her sapphire eyes compliments her azure manicure and how her Balm bronzed flatters her round face. "You look great today," I found myself saying. Awkward. It was like I said my thoughts. Miranda flashed me a smile with her striking pink lips and playfully fluffed her hair."Thanks!" She seemed very astute. She tossed me a mirror that landed on my desk. I picked it up and my jaw dropped. My hair was a complete disaster, gummy and frizzy and knotted. My face was pale and eyes were dreadfully baggy. I was wearing a pastel and plaid nylon pantsuit with dreary dirty leather dress shoes. "Oh my gosh!" Caroline shrieks. Little Miss Slut looks amazing, to my despair. Her picture perfect blonde curly hair is in a high ponytail, and she's wearing a Kate Spade pink minidress, pink wedge heel peep toes, and her tan skinned face is coated precisely with china clay concealer on her few flaws, her eyes neatly outlined with jet blue creamę eyeliner, her cheeks sprinkled with Pure Peony Dolymax blush, lips smacked in Tropical Red lipstick, and smoky mascara and shadow on her irresistible sky blue eyes. Sophie has her own golden locks loosely down. She wears a crochet cable knit white mini sweater sweater, a smooth baby blue babydoll dress and silver ballet flats. On her face is a milky foundation, lips glossed in Rose Brand 03 Sephora, and light mascara. "Abby," Sophie coos."Are you all right? You look... dizzy ." "No," I whisper."This isn't happening." I know it's always been true. My insecurities make me no match for the gorgeous popular girls. Even Claire is here. But now... now my flaws are highlighted. I now realize that I truly am ugly.